Na^Tir' ^^^' EASTERN CHEROKEE GROUPS — KUPFERER 263 



Emily, who had brought a child in for Salk vaccine, inquired about 

 the next scheduled eye clinic because she thought one of her older 

 children was experiencing some diflSculty in seeing. A second woman 

 discussed the possibility of taking a child to an orthopedic clinic in 

 Sylva. Still another brought her nephew in for smallpox vaccination. 

 She asked the nurse to look at his rupture. After the nurse had re- 

 moved the diaper to reveal a large hernia of the scrotum, she told the 

 aunt to take the baby over to a doctor in the hospital very soon. 



In the preschool clinic the same behavior prevails. Parents ask 

 about the results of the examination and respond openly to questions 

 from either the doctor or the nurse. They make appointments for 

 dental treatment if conditions warrant attention. 



The people in this category are Rural White and Generalized 

 Indians. They are clearly differentiated from the people in the first 

 category by their active interest and participation in clinic and health 

 matters. Conversely, the Conservatives in category 1 are reticent 

 and compliant in the presence of the professional staff. Their de- 

 meanor suggests vagueness and a lack of comprehension of the prin- 

 ciples of immunization. These two categories are clearly distinct, 

 separating Conservatives from all others by behavior displayed in 

 the clinics. 



RESPONSES TO SCHOOL HEALTH PROGRAMS 



Avenues of health instruction, and responses to this instruction, are 

 present in the schools. One approach is formal health education. 

 The teachers in the elementary schools devote two or three periods a 

 week to the teaching of health rules and good health habits. Ele- 

 mentary anatomy is taught and care of body organs is emphasized. 



The other approach is informal in the sense that it is teaching by 

 precept and by rules of behavior in the school. In each of the elemen- 

 tary day schools, a custodian spends part of his day washing and polish- 

 ing the floors and dusting equipment. Children in the first and second 

 grades remove their shoes and place them in a line at the door of the 

 classroom. Older children keep their shoes on, with the understand- 

 ing that they are old enough to wipe their feet before entering the class- 

 room, and because they are old enough to clean their own rooms. In 

 three of the elementary schools, provisions are made for the children 

 to take showers and wash their hair once a week. A teacher, in discuss- 

 ing the bathing provisions said, "Look around; I'm sure that some of 

 them have not washed since their last shower." However, because 

 there is an emphasis on washing, her statement is not entirely true. 

 By actual count, all children in one of the schools were sent to wash 

 their hands four times in one morning. 



